Dispenser



A. G. GOODNIGHT Sep; 22, 1953 DISPENSER Filed June 8, 1950 INVENTOR. Ausf/m 6. Gaao/wcur.

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Patented Sept. 22, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPENSER Austin G. Goodnight, Laton, Calif.

Application J une 8, 1950, Serial No. 166,809

(Cl. S12-73) 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to dispensing apparatus :and more particularly to apparatus adapted to the dispensing of elongated articles such as toothpicks, matches, and the like.

In restaurants and other establishments catering to the public it is a conventional practice to provide open dishes of toothpicks and matches for the convenience of customers. In the case of matches, the practice is dangerous in that a customer in reaching for a match may readily ignite all of the matches in the dish with serious injury to himself. Such disposition of matches constitutes a serious fire hazard. In the case of toothpicks, it is an unsanitary arrangement. It is nearly impossible for a customer to select a toothpick contained in the dish without touching other toothpicks contained therein. The soiling and contamination of the toothpicks in the dish is aggravated by the fact that a suhstantial percentage of the customers makes no eiort to avoid touching other toothpicks when selecting toothpicks for use.

' An object of the present invention is to provide improved means for dispensing toothpioks, matchesy and the like.

Another object is to provide a dispensing apparatus, for such articles that is safe to employ and that maintains the articles, preliminary to their dispensing, in a clean and sanitary manner inaccessible to contamination by handling incident to prior selections.

Another object is to provide a dispensing apparatus that is Vconveniently and easily loaded.

Another object is to provide a simple dispensing apparatus that is characterized by dependable operation.

Another object is to provide a dispensing apparatus adapted to make available by unitary discharge thereof toothpicks, matches, and the like in response to manual manipulation.

Other objects are to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in a device of the character vand for the purposes set forth that is attractive, economical to produce, and safe to employ.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, improved details of structure are provided, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is an isometric view of a dispensing apparatus embodying the principles of the Vpresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-.-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device of the present invention viewed with a lhood portion thereof elevated to reveal inner elements.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the driving and conveying means of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a somewhat enlarged section taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

Referring in greater detail to the drawing:

In Fig. l, a housing is indicated generally at lil comprising a substantially rectangular base member Il and a hood member I2. The hood member is preferably hingeably mounted on the base member as at i3, in Fig. 2, at a position which, for purposes of clarity of description, is arbitrarily designated as the Vrear end of the base member. The hood has a discharge opening i4 formed in the front end portion thereof and a dispensing receptacle l5 provided in registration with the opening. The dispensing receptacle preferably comprises an elongated, substantially horizontal, transversely concaved member positioned below the opening, as shown in Fig. l. A groove I6 is formed longitudinally therein and said concaved member provided with a centrally located depressed portion Il. Thus, as toothpicks, matches, or similar articlesV are discharged through the opening I4, by a structure presently to be described, said articles are funneled into the groove by the concave character of the receptacle and supported in the groove with opposite end portions of said toothpicks, matches., and the like shielded from handling but with an intermediate portion disposed for grasping convenience in the depression Il. This is demonstrated by a conventional toothpick illustrated at I8.

A simple catch mechanism 20 is slideably mounted in the base member l! for engagement with a stud 2l formed on the hood. Said catch and stud illustrate a convenient latching arrangement for securing the hood in operating position. It is clearly :apparent that any suitable latch means may be employed without departing from the spirit or the scope of the present invention.

A pair of spaced cylinders 25 :are mounted for rotation on the base member, as by brackets 26 upwardly extended from the base member. The cylinders are preferably arranged in parallel relation in a substantially horizontal plane and transversely disposed to the base member ll with one of said cylinders positioned adjacent to the opening Ill. The axis of rotation of the cylinder adjacent to the opening Irl is preferably at an elevation substantially equal to the elevation of said opening.

An endless conveyor 29 is arranged in circumscribing relation to the cylinders 25, for travel thereabout, and is provided with outwardly disposed, transverse, corrugations 33. Although the conveyor may be formed of any suitable material, it has been discovered that elastic material, such as rubber, is admirably suited to the purpose and when tensioned about the rollers provides an eliective conveying means.

on the rocker arm for engagement with the studs. l

As viewed in Fig. 4, the pawl is precluded from moving in a clockwise direction from a predetermined rest position by a stop 36 borne by the pawl abuttable with the rocker arm. A helical tension spring 31 interconnects the pawl and the rocker arm and serves to urge the pawl into said rest position. The rocker arm is normally maintained in a predetermined resting position, which may conveniently be horizontal, as shown in Fig. 4. To preclude clockwise rotation of the rocker arm from the resting position, lips 38 and 39 are struck from the rocker arm in positions abuttable with the adjacent bracket 25. To urge the rocker arm into the resting position, a helical tension spring 40 is interconnected with an end of the rocker arm and the base element I I, as shown in Fig. 4. It has been found convenient to employ a rocker arm and ratchet means, as described, at each end of the roller that is adjacent the opening I4. A pair of springs 4I are interposed the brackets 25 and the rocker arms 33 to aid in positioning said rocker arms relative to the forward cylinder 25 and to aid in centering a push-bar, presently described, in the hood member I2.

To motivate the rocker arm, a push-bar d4 having downwardly extended legs a5, spaced to correspond with the rocker arms, is pivotally connected, as at 46, to each of the rocker arms. The hood l2 is transversely slotted, as at 4l', and the push-bar extended upwardly therethrough for external manipulation thereof. The hood serves to position the push-bar while permitting elevational reciprocal movement thereof. From the structure described, it is clearly evident that successive depressing movements of the push-bar pivots the rocker arms, and through the engagement of the pawls with the studs 34 imparts stepped rotational movement to the forward cylinder in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, and stepped advancement of the conveyor 29 about the cylinders. Downward movement only of the push-bar motivates the cylinder. Upon release of downward pressure, the spring 4E) returns the rocker arm 33 to rest position and said push-bar to a position preconditioned for subsequent depressing.

A hopper is mounted within the hood I2, as by a supporting bracket 5I, upwardly extended from the base element il adjacent the conveyor 29. It will be clearly apparent that the hopper may be mounted on the hood, if desired. The hopper is adapted to receive toothpicks, matches, and the like transversely therein, in substantially horizontal positions. The hopper is preferagitator 53 having :articles of the type to be dispensed.

A cog 55 is mounted in coaxial, unitary relation with the agitator 53 externally of the hopper 50 and in engagement with the conveyor 29. The cog has driving connection with the agitator and driven connection with the conveyor. Thus, as the conveyor 29 is motivated in stepped advancement, as previously described, the cog 55 in engagernent therewith is rotated and serves to rotate the agitator in timed relation to the conveyor. The corrugations 30 in the conveyor `and the corrugations 54 in the agitator are preferably spaced and synchronously rotated so that the agitator rotates sufciently to drop an article carried in its corrugation as each new corrugation of the conveyor is :moved to loading position below the hopper.

As shown in Fig. 2, depressing of the push-bar 4.4 results in counterclockwise rotation of the cylinders 25 and in clockwise rotation or" the cog 55 and itsV agitator 53. The clockwise rotation of the agitator tends to lift articles nding their way into its corrugations upwardly prior to downward movement of such articles to discharge position. This has been found conducive to free movement of the articles with a minimum of jamming in the hopper.

A spring sweep 5l is mounted on the hopper and curved downwardly and forwardly therefrom to a position closely adjacent the conveyor 29 between the loading position of the conveyor 29 and the opening I4. The sweep assists in arranging articles deposited on the conveyor 29 by the hopper in the corrugations of said conveyor.

Operation The already clearly disclosed operation of the apparatus of the present invention is briefly summarized at this point. To load the apparatus, the latch 20 is released and the hood I2 pivoted upwardly until the hopper is conveniently available. The articles to be dispensed are deposited in the hopper in substantially horizontal positions. This is accomplished in a sanitary manner and quite conveniently, by opening an end of a carton or box, not shown, containing such articles, inserting the open end of the same into the hopper, and thus pouring the articles into position. This is of particular advantage in that it permits the loading of toothpicks into the apparatus and the dispensing thereof without handling or manually touching the toothpicks in any way. In this way, toothpicks may be dispensed by the apparatus of the present invention without any person but the user touching the same. Matches are preferably inserted into the hopper so that their handle end portions are closely adjacent to a side of the hopper and their heads Vspaced from the opposite side to avoid accidental ignition. Once so positioned in the hopper the matches are safely housed and dispensed, their original disposition and the parallel relation of the corrugations 3|) and 54 assuring continued maintenance of the matches with their heads spaced from their adjacent side of said hopper and adjacent side of the hood.

Once the hopper 5@ is loaded, the hood is returned to operable position and the latch 2|] manipulated to secure the hood in position. The push-bar 44 is successively depressed resulting in stepped rotation of the cylinders 25, stepped advancement of the conveyor 29, and responsive stepped rotation of the agitator 53. The matches, toothpicks, or other articles indicated generally at 50 in the hopper gravitationaliy descend in the hopper to the agitator 53, whereupon individual units thereof are conveyed by the corrugations 54 to the opening 52. The articles descend through the opening 52 and are lodged in the corrugations 30 of the conveyor 29. In preconditioning a completely emptied apparatus for operation, the push-bar is successively depressed until the conveyor has been advanced a suicient distance to bring loaded corrugations thereof into adjacent relation to the opening I4. As the conveyor travels downwardly around the forwardmost of the cylinders 25, the articles being dispensed are discharged through the opening I4 into the concave receptacle l5, wherein they are funneled into the groove I6, in which position their ends are shielded from handling. So positioned, the articles present portions intermediate their end portions for grasping convenience.

The apparatus of the present invention is dependable in operation, dispenses articles such as toothpicks, matches, and the like by unitary discharge, safely, and in a clean and sanitary manner.

`Although I have shown my invention in the form of a dispensing apparatus comprising a housing having a discharge opening formed therein, a hopper within the housing, and a manually operated conveyor for moving articles to be dispensed from the hopper to the discharge opening, it is apparent that my invention is not limited to the specic details of the design shown. It is recognized that departures may be made from such details within the scope of my invention which is not to be limited to the specic details disclosed but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A dispensing apparatus comprising a base member; a pair of spaced, substantially parallel cylinders rotatably mounted on the base; an endless conveyor having transverse corrugations mounted in circumscribing relation to the cylinders; a hood mounted on the base member in covering relation to the conveyor providing a discharge opening adjacent to a cylinder; a dispensing receptacle accessible from exteriorly of the hood mounted in registration with the discharge opening of the hood; a hopper mounted on the base and positioned in feeding relation to stepped rotation thereof and stepped advancement of the conveyor from the hopper to the discharge opening.

2. A dispensing apparatus comprising a base member; mounting brackets upwardly extended from the base member; a pair of spaced, substantially parallel, cylindrical members mounted for rotation in the mounting brackets in a substantially horizontal plane; an endless conveyor having transverse corrugations formed therein mounted in circumscribing relation to the cylindrical members; a rocker arm pivotally mounted coaxially with a cylindrical member; ratchet means having driven connection with the rocker arm and driving connection with said rocker arms coaxially associated cylindrical member; resilient means urging the rocker arm into a predetermined resting position; a hood mounted on the base member in housing relation to the brackets, cylindrical members, conveyor, rocker arm, ratchet means, and resilient means, said hood having Ia discharge opening formed therein adjacent to a cylindrical member; a dispensing receptacle mounted on the hood in registration with the discharge opening; a hopper mounted in superposed relation to the conveyor adjacent to the cylindrical member opposite to the discharge opening; an agitator rotatably mounted in the hopper; a cog having driven connection with the conveyor and driving connection with the agitator; a spring sweep borne by the hood in association with the conveyor intermediate the hopper and the discharge opening; and a push-bar pivotally connected to an end of the rocker arm and upwardly extending through the hood for manual manipulation thereof externally of the hood.

AUSTIN G. GOODNIGHT.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 376,975 Adie Jan. 24, 1888 450,999 Dodge Apr. 21, 1891 468,868 Fickett Feb. 16, 1892 496,730 Foote May 2, 1893 771,265 Patton Oct. 4, 1904 810,952 Lawton et al Jan. 30, 1906 1,537,123 Leopold May 12, 1925 1,638,732 Hantschel Aug. 9, 1927 1,917,952 Davidson July 11, 1933 1,967,114 Cutler July 17, 1934 1,996,472 Hermann Apr. 2, 1935 2,286,143 Lee June 9, 1942 2,462,298 Alexander Feb. 22, 1949 2,565,521 Ratermann Aug. 28, 1951 

